Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 14-02-18

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Yorgancioglu promises "federal citizenship" to Turkish settlers

[02] Eroglu: The agreement will only be viable if the expectations of both sides are taken into consideration

[03] Babacan: Devil hides in details as regards the Cyprus problem

[04] Logoglu: We don't know what promises Davutoglu has given on the Cyprus problem

[05] Self-styled "assembly" speaker continues her contacts in Iran; She met with ECO's general secretary

[06] Gul: Turkey is Europe's secure energy hub; he hints at approving disputed Internet bill

[07] Lambsdorff: Turkish press is intimidated, under pressure

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Yorgancioglu promises "federal citizenship" to Turkish settlers

The paper writes that the Turkish settlers are living in uncertainty because no one says yet what will happen on the issue of the population in a possible agreement. According to Afrika, the Turkish settlers started visiting "officials" of the breakaway regime in order to overcome their concerns.

A delegation from the association of the Turkish war veterans, who took part in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, visited yesterday Yorgancioglu and asked from him to brief them on this issue. Yorgancioglu said, inter alia, the following:

"We are all included in the 'Turkish Cypriot people' definition. Everybody who lives in the country and is citizen, not old or new citizen, and sees his future here is included in this. Our target should be an agreement in which the interests will be protected? It is our duty to protect the rights of the people who live here for 40-45 years, who are born here, not only in their lives here but in the agreement as well? We will do from now on what we did in the Annan Plan. You should be relaxed?"

He went on and said that an agreement will not deprive them from the right of being "citizens of this country" and added: "There is no such thought and intention".

Yorgancioglu recalled that the Annan Plan was providing that everyone who is born in Cyprus would become citizen of the federal state and argued that nothing less than this will be included in the new negotiating process.

(I/Ts.)

[02] Eroglu: The agreement will only be viable if the expectations of both sides are taken into consideration

Eroglu claimed that they will reach for an agreement where their "people" will be able to say yes within peace, adding that it is not possible to make their "people" to say yes in an agreement that will force them to live in difficulties in these territories.

During the meeting, Latifoglu extended their full support to Eroglu on the Cyprus talks, adding that an agreement favouring both sides on the island and is acceptable by the Turkish Cypriots should be reached.

[03] Babacan: Devil hides in details as regards the Cyprus problem

Babacan stated that for the first time we are at a stage more advanced than the Annan Plan in the Cyprus problem and noted that: "The devil hides in details they say, therefore there are many details which will be debated a lot". He said that president Anastasiades supported the Annan Plan and argued that they were expecting from him to follow a stance which will be in consistence with the stance he followed on that period. He said that they have to wait and see the attitude of the society, the church and the political leaders in the Greek Cypriot community and alleged that Turkey has always been in favor of a solution.

[04] Logoglu: We don't know what promises Davutoglu has given on the Cyprus problem

Logoglu said the party doesn't know to which point the ongoing negotiations are now at and accused Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is conducting these negotiations, of not adequately consulting the Turkish Cypriot side and briefing Turkey and the Turkish people. He added that they don't know what promises Davutoglu has made.

Logoglu said that one of the biggest problems of the Cyprus talks is the property issue, claiming that if compensation is to be paid for Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus then the Turkish side should raise billions of dollars. Logoglu suggested that the money the Turkish Cypriot side will get in case the two sides on the island share the revenue from natural gas and oil, could be used to pay for property compensation. That means the till will be empty from the beginning.

[05] Self-styled "assembly" speaker continues her contacts in Iran; She met with ECO's general secretary

Siber went to Iran in order to participate in the 9th Parliamentary Union Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is held in the Iranian capital

Within the framework of her contacts in Iran, Siber held yesterday a meeting with the general secretary of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Samil Aleskerov.

Speaking during the meeting, Aleskerov said that they will do all necessary in order for the "TRNC", as he described the occupation regime, to gain the observer status at the ECO. Aleskerov further said that "north Cyprus" has a great potential both in the economy and the education sector.

On her part, Siber informed Aleskerov about the latest developments in the Cyprus problem, the works of the occupation regime's "assembly", and the occupation regime's economic activities.

Siber asked for support in order to cooperate economically with the Economic Cooperation Organization' member countries and pointed out especially the importance of exporting halloumi and citrus fruits to Iran and ECO' countries.

(AK)

[06] Gul: Turkey is Europe's secure energy hub; he hints at approving disputed Internet bill

Remarking that Turkey and Hungary have pilot projects in the energy sector, Gul said: "Turkey considers alternative energy as important. Natural gas from Caucasus and the Middle East will be transferred through Turkey to Europe. I am aware that Hungary has become a key location in energy distribution."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the two countries, adding: "If you are looking for true partners to cooperate, you are in the right place, Hungary".

Meanwhile, Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (online, 18.02.14) reported that Gul has hinted at his intention to approve the much-disputed laws on the Internet and the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) despite fierce criticism from the European Union and the opposition.

Gul indirectly referred to the Constitutional Court as the venue for an in-depth analysis of these two key legal changes.

Moreover, Gul also said he was pleased to see Hungary's support for Turkey's European Union membership bid, during a press conference with his counterpart, Janos Ader.

Gul invited Ader to Turkey, saying there is a "strong sympathy" between the two countries and with both agreeing to speed up investments. For his part, Ader said there were important developments in the economic relations between Ankara and Budapest and that trade volume had increased by 30% in 2013.

Gul also met with Parliamentary Speaker Laszlo Kover and Prime Minister Orban.

[07] Lambsdorff: Turkish press is intimidated, under pressure

Speaking on Saturday night on the "Avrupa Masas?" (Europe Desk) program that aired on the Samanyolu Haber channel hosted by Selcuk Gultasli, the Zaman daily's Brussels representative, the vice chairman of the third-largest group in the EP said he was not convinced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's arguments with regard to both recent corruption charges and the existence of a "parallel state." Lambsdorff, who is also the shadow rapporteur of his group on Turkey, stated that Erdogan has argued that there is no corruption, but could not answer the question of why he had to change half of his Cabinet if there was no corruption in the first place.

Referring to Turkey's accession into the EU, Lambsdorff noted: "I understand the frustration in Turkey about the EU. We say you are a candidate, we say we [will] negotiate but then you know, in many countries -- Cyprus is not the only country -- France, Austria, the Netherlands and even in my own country, people do not want Turkey to be a member of the EU. So there is a mess in these negotiations. And I can understand why our friends in Turkey are frustrated with this schizophrenia within the EU. On the one hand, there are negotiations, but on the other, there is no clear commitment to eventual Turkish accession. I think we need to move into completely a new phase with a different agenda, with a different way of structuring Turkish-European relations, because we have so many things that we could do together." TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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